Monday, October 8, 2018

A life-size bronze statue of late Soundgarden singer Chris Cornell was unveiled outside the Museum Of Pop Culture in Seattle, WA on October 7.

The tribute – sculpted by artist Nick Marras – showcases the grunge pioneer in one of his iconic poses with his signature boots, dog tag, layers and long locks.

“It’s a reflection of his light, a light that shone through his music and touched millions,” said the rocker’s widow, Vicky Cornell, during the ceremony, reports Rolling Stone. “A light that he used to illuminate our lives, and a light that will continue to inspire those in the future. This statue represents that light — a beautiful, powerful, incomparable presence in a hometown worthy of someone as special as Chris.”

The event featured a number of speeches before the statue was unveiled by their children Lily, Toni and Christopher, with Soundgarden members Kim Thayil, Matt Cameron and Ben Shepherd in attendance.

“We’re just still taking our time and giving ourselves space to process everything,” explained Cameron. “We would certainly love to try to continue to do something, figure out something to do together.”

“On a personal level,” added Shepherd, “We haven’t even gotten a chance to hang out, just us three, yet. … We’re going through natural healing, then thinking about the natural next step.”

Cameron and Thayil reunited in June for Denmark’s Northside Festival as part of a supergroup called MC50, joining the likes of original MC5 guitarist Wayne Kramer, Zen Guerrilla’s Marcus Durant, Fugazi’s Brendan Canty and King’s X’s Dug Pinnick to pay tribute to the Detroit-based rock group.

The late Seattle singer’s work is featured on the new collection, “Chris Cornell”; due November 16, the package is offered in multiple formats, including a single 17-track release and a 64-track limited-edition deluxe box set.

Both versions present material from Cornell’s extensive career as a solo artist and work with Soundgarden, Temple Of The Dog and Audioslave.